Garage or storage building



May 1 9, 1925. Y 1,538,341 s. c. LANCASTER ET AL [GARAGE on STORAGE BUILDING FiIed Nov. 29. 1920 I s Sheeis-Sheet 1 May 19, 1925- 1,538,341

s. c. LANCASTER ET AL v GARAGE on STbRAGE BUILDING- Filed Nqv. is, 1920 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 I, r a a v a? E Elvwcntozd 194mm I I 5. c. LANCASTER ET AL GARAGE OR STORAGE BUILDING May 19, 1925.

Filed Nov. 29. 1920 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 wuemtoz qvirneoo s. c. LANCASTER ET AL GARAGE 0R STORAGE BUILDING e Sheets-Sheet a FiIed Nov. 29, 1920 Ronny l v 1538,34] S. C. LANCASTER ET AL V GARAGE 0R STORAGE BUILDING Filed Nov 29. 1920 6 Sheets-Sheet '6 mvmm Patented May 19 1925.' v

UNITED STATES 1,538,341 PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL C. LANCASTER AND CHRISTIAN O. HJERMSTAD, OF PORTLAND, OREGON. AS- SIGNORS TO AUTOWHIRL CORPORATION, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A. CORPORATION I or ILLINOIS.

Gannon on scronaon BUILDING.

Application filed November 29, 1920. Serial No. 427,097.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, SAMUEL C. Lancasrm: and CHRISTIAN O. HJERMSTAD, citizens of the United States, residing at Portland, in the county of Multnomah and State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 'in Garages or Storage Buildings; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to garages or storage buildings for automobiles and other vehicles.

One object of the invention is to provide a garage. or storage building covering a small area that will possess a comparatively can be accommodated in proportion to the large capacity for the storage of vehicles, the building being particularly adaptable as a garage for automobiles.

A further object of the invention is to construct the building in such wise that the driveways for bringing the vehicles into and out of the building will not be overtaxed, this being a result quite frequently occurring where a large number of vehicles are kept in abuilding with but one entrance and exit opening.

A. further object is to provide easy communication between the driveways forthe incoming and outgoing vehicles and between both of said driveways and the places where the vehicles arestored.

According to the present invention the building is preferably designed for location on a rectangular area and as the said structure is to accommodate large numbers of m chines it may occupy, an entire city block. Another object, therefore, is to arrange'thc floors or storage platforms in such manner that any two or more of the sides of the building may each have an entry and an exit opening therein to provide ready access to the building from two or more streets.

. In the accompanying drawings,-

Figure 1 is a horizontal sectional view of a buildingembodying the present improvenientsp' Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the structure shown in Fig. 1; I

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of a modified form of construction;

the structures shown in Figs. 3 and at, this view being taken at a point well above the cmrance and exit openings;

Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation of ture shown in Fig. 3; and I Fig. 7 is a similar view of the structure shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 shows a further modification of the invention.

Garages of the type to which the present invention relates are generally, if not al ways, located in those sections of cities where ground is more or less valuable and the present in ention therefore seek: to greatly increase the number of machinesthat the strucarea occupied by the building. A garage constructed in accordance with the present invention may be of any desired size, delpending upon the number of machines to be accommodated, but it is preferably designed with a rectangular outer Wall 10 as the corners may well bentilized as storage rooms and for passenger elevators or spaces for vehicles or for other purposes whereas, a build- .ing with a circular outer wall ewould not only possess less floor space, but it would also leave ortions of ground, that could not be advan ageously utilized. Furthermore, a building possessing a rectangular formation, together with other structural features contemplated bv thepresent invention, is highly adaptable 1,01 occupying a corner lot in that it can be provided with entrance and exit openings on each street, or the building, if

the volume of business warranted, can oc-f cup an entire city block of ground andbe provided with an entrance and exlt opening on each of the four streets. Structures such as these are shown in the drawings, Fig. 1-

illustrating a garage adapted tomccupy a corner lotand-providcd with entrance and exit openings 11, 12 situated on one side and similar openings 13, 14 on one of the-adaccnt sides; Fig. 3 shows a garage prov! ed with, entrance and exit openings 11, 12, 13 and 14 on two streets running parallel to -each other, this form being desirable Where the building is located in the middle of a block and extends through from one street to another; and Fig. 4 shows a bulldlng having entrance and exit openings on each oi its iour sides, this form being preferred where the building occupies the entire block.

In each type of buildm the machines are stored on a series of pfiitforms or. floors formed by the convolutions of one or more spirally arranged continuous floors, eech spiral, where two or more are utilized, being constructed separate from the other. The preferred construction of garage contains two continuous upward spiral floors, indisated at 15 and 1 6, respectivel although, in other forms of buildings falling within the scope or" the present invention this number may be increased or, if desired, only one continuous floor with driveways arranged on the same plane for ascending and descending machines, may be employed, as shown in Fig. 8. The convolutions 15 of one spiral are located between the .convolutions 16 of the other, in the two spiral construction, the pitch of both spirals being such. that the di. tance between adjacent convolutions is maintained uniform throughout the height of the building. and affords suiiicient clearance for the machines on either spiral. In actual construction each floor is given a rise of approximately twenty feet to each convolution, this giving a clearance of ten feet between the platforms or convolutions, a distance ample for practically all machines.

' On the ground floor, the outer portions of the building are divided by partitions 17 into suitable olhce rooms, stores, etc, but after the spirals 15 and 16 have reached a point above the ground floor the outer portions of each floor are divided into parking or storage spaces 18 indicated in the drawings by dot and dash lines and denoted in the itself by painted lines, if desired, or by any other suitable means such. as light partitions.

For ascending to and descending from the storage spaces 18, two driveways 19, 20, one for incoming machines and the otherior outgoing machines, are provided for spiral 15 and two similardriveways 21, 22 are provided for spiral 16. Both driveways of the respective floors extend upwardly in the same direction as the fioor and are of the same pitch, the surface of the driveways and the storage spaces of, the respective spirals forming a continuous unbroken surface and permitting a car to be driven from one riveway to the other, or fromthe driveways to and from the storage spaces without the necessity of pulling over any abrupt rise in the floor surface. This allows u driver to run his machine from its place of storage di rectly on to the descending driveway, thereby eliminating the necessity of machines traveling in opposite directions on the some driveway, such as is the case in some garages of this type disclosed in the prior art.

A further structural feature present in the form of garage shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is greener than a second driveway 23 for outgoin chines is also provided, but the pitch or this last driveway is approximately one-half of the other and, as shown in Fig. 2, cominuui .caies wish each convolution or platform of both of the spiralv floors 15, 18. This extra driveway 523 not only aidsjin relieving trellis on the other outgoing driveyv'ays of the floors, but it also permits a driver to descend slowly without the application of the braking force 1 that would be necessary to rcstroin a ma chine on the other driveway to the same extent.

Referring to the form of building shown in Fig. 3, the opposite side Walls 10 are each provided with an entrance and exit, opening.

Stores, oilicc rooms, etc, are provided on the ground floor in this type also and the convolutions of the give spiral floors also run in the same direction. Above the ground floor the incoming and outgoing driveways 19, 20 and 21, 22 are spaced apart radially of the building and the space between them utilized for storage spaces, passages 2% being left between some of the storage spaces to allow a communication between the two dr1veweys,.

vided wiih an entrance and exit opening, the.

entrance and exit openings on two of the i 11, 12, 13 and 1 .2 3 scenl; sides communicating .with spiral 15 and the openings 11 12*, 13

and 14: on the other two sides communicating with the spiral 16. The proper clearance between the couvolutions of the two spirals is secured by the entrance and exist openings 11, 12, 11 and 12 on opposite sides of building being. located preferably two and one-half feet below the ground (the ground line is indicated by the line G in Fig. i) and the entrances l3, 14, P, i l on the other two sides located the same distance above the ground, suitable runways being provided for each opening on the exterior of the building. p

The several openings being arranged in those positions, spiral 1'5, shorting at "the entrance 11, two and one-half feet below the ground, rises to the entrance 13 on the adjacentside, tWO undone-half feet above the ground, a rise of five feet in one-quarter of a convolution and continuing to the next adjacent entrance 11 it; rises anothcrfive feet, and, opening 11?- being two and onehalf feetbelow the ground, a: clearance of ten feet is provided between the two platforms or convolutions of the two spirals.

With this exception, this form of structure is like the type shown in. Figs. 3 and 5 and trafiic on each floor is reduced to practically one half of what it would be if all the machines were stored on one floor and had to use the same driveway. This is an important feature because the number of machines mmodated'in garages of. this *type is ve y great, ranging from one to two thousand machines, and 'the congestion that would result if all the machines used the same driveway can readily be realized.

, Delivery or removal of machinesto'and from the place of storage, particnlarly those on the higher convolutions or platforms, is

further facilitated by the provision of an, elevator (not shown) of any approved typelocated centrally of the building, each'con- ,volution or platform of bloth spirals communicating with the ,elevajtpr shaftv through doorways 26. (SeeiFlgs- 1 and 2.)

In the form shown in Fig. 8 only one spiral is provided but, as in the other types oil buildings, both the incoming and outgoing driveways are Ion the same level throughout their length with the adjacent storagets aces. In other respects this type is ndt di erent from the others and the same reference numerals have, therefore, been utilized for designating like parts. As both the incoming and outgoing driveways communicate with their respective floors throughout the length of the latter,

the spirals need not necessarily terminate at the ground but may, if desired, continue down below the ound in the form of a basement,'thus ad ing to the capacity of the building without increasing the ground occupied.

While any mode of construction may be adopted in carrying outthepresent invention, a reinforced concrete construction is more economical and advanta eous in that allpartitions can bedispense with above the ground floor, the convolutions receiving the necessary support through columns 2-7 spaced apart suflicien-tly to allow the passage of machines to and from their storage places. l

What is claimed is: r a

, 1. Abuilding for the storageof automobiles and other vehicles,v embodying a plucommunicating with floor for outgoing vehicles, the driveways communicating with their respective floors throughout their length.

2. A building for the storage of automobiles and other vehicles, embodying a plurality of separate, continuous spiral floors, a driveway for each floor for incoming vehicles, each incoming driveway communicatin with its'floor throughout its lengtlyand al1iveway for outgoing vehicles orleach floor, each outgoing driveway coinm'unicating withits floor and with the incoming drivewa on its floor throughout its length.

3.'A uilding'for the storage of automobiles and other vehicles, embodying a com tinuous spiral floor, a second continuous spiral floor having its convolutions. interposed between those of. the first mentioned floor, driveways on each floor for incoming and outgoing vehicles, and a separate driveway communicating with each convolution of both of said floors.

4. A building for the stor e of atom.

biles and other vehicles, emb ying two continuous upward spiral floors, the convolu-- tions of one floor being interposed between thoseof the other floor, a pair of driveways for incoming and outgoing vehicles commu nicating with one floor throughout its length, a second pair-of similar driveways the, other floor throughout its length, and a separate driveway or outgoing vehicles communicating with both floors.

5. A building for the store c'of automobiles and other vehicles, em ing two continuous spiral floors, the convohi-tions of one floor being interposed between those of the other, a, pair of driveways for incomi and outgoing vehicles communicating wi z one floor, a second pair of similar driveways a communicating with the other floor, and a separate spiral driveway for outgoing vehicles communicating with each convolution of both floors.

6. A building for the stora e of ant/0mm biles and other vehicles, einbo yin twoicontinuous spiral floors, a pair of riveways for incoming and outgoing vehicles for one floor, a second pair of simllar driveways for the other floor, a separatespiral drivewa for outgoing vehicles communicating wit each convolution oflboth floors,..and ,an elcvator shaft communicating with each convolution of the last mentioned drivewa SAMUEL ,C. LANOASTEIK CHRISTIAN O. HJERMSTAD. 

